


Give It Up For SEVENSTAR Drink!

by ohwellokay



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: ??? to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Hacker MC, Pining, Slow To Update, Spoilers, friendships, sometimes you have to just look the canon in the eye and say fuck you
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-07-04 17:37:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15846117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohwellokay/pseuds/ohwellokay
Summary: In the hacking world, it was a given that a single slip up could lead to one's downfall.Imagine spending your entire life working on something, only to have someone rip it out from under you, shatter it, and play with the broken pieces as you watched in despair. Maybe Catelyn was exaggerating a little, but that's how she felt when some hacker decided to shatter her literal and metaphorical security system. Man, she really thought she'd get a break after her encounter with Unknown, but 707 and the RFA were a virus that was determined to stay.





	1. Doing Shady Things Will Come Back To Bite You In The Ass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments are appreciated
> 
> by that, i mean please comment. the void makes an excellent listener, but a poor conversationalist
> 
> 2/23/2019: parts of this chapter were edited using 2 different word processors, one of which is really basic and doesn't support some characters so if the text is weird anywhere, please let me know

The setting sun melted into the horizon in streaks of red and orange. Stars were appearing in the sky. The lights of Seoul would soon outshine them as the city's night life rose with the moon. Catelyn Meng sat by the door in a cafe, staring at the darkening sky. Having finished her pastry some time ago, it was only a matter of seconds before she would be considered a loiterer.

She wiped away the crumbs at her mouth. She left her seat, grabbing her backpack off the floor as she went. She stepped out of the cafe and joined the flow of people on the street.

Her phone went off with consecutive notifications as she crossed the street. She quickened her steps, barely making it across before she pulled out her phone. Catelyn allowed only a few things to bypass Do Not Disturb: phone calls, emergency texts, and alerts from her security system.

It was none of these.

Blank notification bubbles graced her lock screen. She paused her music. Bubble after bubble, all of them were blank. A chill swept through her body.

In the hacking world, it was a given that a single slip up could lead to one’s downfall. Catelyn had made it impossible to trace her less-than-legal activities to her— much less her personal phone.

There must be a bug in the security system. After all, she had upgraded it recently.

She kept her pace as she made her way home, eyeing her surroundings as she went. Families walked together in clumps on the street. Customers went in and out of stores. People, lost in their heads, strode to destinations that only they knew. No one seemed to linger; no one paid her any mind.

A short distance away from her apartment was a park. There was a bigger one several streets away, but the proximity of this one allowed the neighborhood kids to stay out longer. Catelyn positioned herself on a bench, in front of the swings, where children played under their parents' watchful eyes. A surveillance camera monitored this bench, along with several others that had it in their peripheral views.

Her heart pounded as she tapped on a notification. Sure, having witnesses was fine, but they'd do little if she was already dead.

…

…

….

Nothing happened. It was a bug. Just a bug.

Relief flooded through Catelyn so profoundly that her body shook. She took a steadying breath as she leaned back against the bench. She cleared the rest of the notifications and made to stand up when she noticed an unfamiliar app on her home screen. _RFA Messenger._ The hell was–

The screen went black. She watched in mute horror as it flickered back on. Florescent green code flooded it, none of which she had written.

> **_Unknown has entered the chatroom._ **
> 
> **Unknown:** Hello…? Can you see this?
> 
> **___:** ??
> 
> **Unknown:** Thank god, a response! I’ve been sending messages with this app but all I kept getting were errors.
> 
> **Unknown:** You must be surprised. It’s not every day you get a text from a stranger.

Not good. Who the fuck was this?

Catelyn didn't get hacked. She was the hacker, not the hackee! Hack attacks didn't come out of the blue like this. There should've been warnings. Alarms should've been triggered. Booby traps should’ve gone off. The phone should’ve wiped itself clean.

No. _No no no._ She had to stop panicking. Act now, panic later.

She pressed the home button. Her wallpaper appeared for a split second— a cotton candy colored sky that mocked her with its serenity— before the chatroom came back. She tried to restart the phone. Nothing happened. The only option left was to force a self-destruct.

Everything on the phone was replaceable. Her meme gallery, cute animal pictures, her books, her music, her textbook pdfs, group chats with smart people in her classes. They were replaceable. But it wouldn't feel the same, and she mourned for this.

She pressed the home button twice with her thumb. On the second press, she held her finger down. With her other thumb, she held down the power button. _Three, two, one._

The self-destruct mechanism failed to activate.

Cold air filled her lungs as she sucked in a breath. Well, fuck.

Catelyn was stupid. So, so stupid. She had been well aware that taking on as many hacking jobs as she did during summer vacation wasn't the best idea. But she was a college student, and she didn't have the privilege of sitting in rich parents’ laps like many of her peers did.

Unknown had been talking this entire time, not giving her a chance to respond. They had a phone. They needed her help. This was definitely not, in any way, going to ruin or end her life.

> **Unknown:** I know the area. It’s developed.
> 
> **Unknown:** Please?

Catelyn looked around her, noting how dark the sky had gotten. Only a handful of people were left in the park, herself included. Streetlights illuminated the park's borders, pinning shadows to the ground. A stray cat hissed at something from within the darkness.

She shivered and tugged at the sleeves of her over-sized sweater. The worse possible thought crossed her mind: what if they were watching her? Not through cameras, but in person.

> **___:** fine… i’m leaving right away if it feels sketchy though. got it?
> 
> **Unknown:** You trust me…
> 
> **Unknown:** Thank you!
> 
> **Unknown:** Just a sec. I’ll send you the address.
> 
> **Unknown:** Found it.
> 
> **Unknown:** Click Link

The link stared back at her with faux innocence. This was a virus. It had to be. Unknown was done fucking around and was coming in for the kill. Virtually or not, she was screwed.

She clicked the link.

An unnamed web browser popped up and loaded an address on Google Maps. No fucking way. The location was eerily close to where Catelyn lived. Hell, she probably walked along that street on her last shopping trip.

She bit the insides of her cheeks, glaring at her compromised phone. Not today, Satan. She was going to die on her own terms.

She slid her backpack off into her lap. She unzipped it and pushed aside her books until she grabbed a second phone almost identical to the first. She took her earbuds out and unplugged them from her phone. After stuffing them into the bag's baby pocket, she placed her first phone on the second.

Catelyn left the park to go into a 7-11. They didn't call convenience stores convenient for nothing. The cameras in the store were basic and provided yellow tinted footage at best. That, in addition to the brightly colored bags of snacks lining the aisle she stood in, would make it difficult to distinguish the different shades of blue that her phones were.

She took out her work phone and fiddled with it as if to assess the damaged Unknown inflicted to it. She unlocked the phone and went to her contacts. Hastily, she scrolled until she saw the person she needed.

> **You:** yo
> 
> **You:** cashing favor frm 4 hch thng
> 
> **You:** Link
> 
> **You:** SOS 1-2 hr

Next, she texted her roommate’s number.

> **You:** maydispearfeedbifd

She threw it back in her bag and left the 7-11. Not before buying Pringles and an aloe vera drink, though. It would've been rude to leave without buying anything.

* * *

> **Unknown:** Are you there? ^^See. Nothing strange.
> 
> **Unknown:** Is there a password lock on the door?

There was a lot to be said about how they had messaged her almost immediately upon her arrival to this apartment. She was too anxious to think of anything, though. If this bastard didn't kill her, a heart attack was going to.

> **___:** yes.
> 
> **Unknown:** I’ll send you the digits. Try it.
> 
> **Unknown:** Click Link
> 
> **___:** …shouldn’t i ring the doorbell first?
> 
> **Unknown:** Hmm. You’re right! Sorry, I wasn’t thinking straight.
> 
> **Unknown:** Then, ring the doorbell.
> 
> **___:** i don’t think anyone’s inside…

She looked up and down the hallway she was in for what seemed like the hundredth time. She glanced at the stairway doors but saw nothing through the windows.

> **Unknown:** Why don’t you press the code?

Sometimes Catelyn wondered how her life would have turned out if she had chosen to be a white hat hacker. Better yet, a game developer. Either would have kept her away from the deep shit she was in now.

It seemed that she couldn't stall any longer. She hoped she stalled long enough for help to come.

Her hands were clammy and shaky. She clenched and unclenched them. The crescent nail indents in her palm stung as she punched in the digits.

> **___:** the door’s open
> 
> **Unknown:** Good. Why don’t you go inside?
> 
> **Unknown:** Just leave a note. I’ll give you my info. If something happens, you can just show my messages.
> 
> **___:** …
> 
> **___:** fine
> 
> **Unknown:** Th
> 
> **Unknown:** ank
> 
> **Unknown:** you…
> 
> **_Unknown has left the chatroom._ **

As soon as Unknown had left the chatroom, the messages began to disappear as if someone pressed the rewind button. Catelyn’s phone emitted a high-pitched sound as code filled the screen once more. There was a brief loading screen followed by a starry sky.

> **_has entered the chatroom._ **
> 
> **Yoosung★:** Failed my midterms fml T_T
> 
> **Yoosung★:** (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞
> 
> **Jumin Han:** If you want to work for our company, you should take care of your GPA.
> 
> **Yoosung★:** I'm still on the list?! +_+
> 
> **Jumin Han:** Yes.
> 
> **Yoosung★:** ヾ (✧ ω ✧)
> 
> **ZEN:** Lame. That’s nepotism.

Catelyn was still shaking. Mere seconds ago, she was about to be murdered. _What the hell was this?_ It didn't make any sense. She looked at the nail indents in her palm. This was real and she was actually in a random group chat. She was lucid, despite how much she wanted this to be a dream.

> **707:** Wait!
> 
> **ZEN:** ??
> 
> **707:** Think someone entered the chat room;;
> 
> **Jumin Han:** It’s blank.
> 
> **ZEN:** (゜。゜)...?
> 
> **Yoosung★:** Is this another prank?
> 
> **Yoosung★:** (•︿•)...
> 
> **707:** It’s not me.
> 
> **707:** Σ(□ o □ )?!
> 
> **707:** A hacker!
> 
> **Yoosung★:** Therae’s a hacker in our rooml?! Sevnee do somethgn!!

707\. Catelyn didn't think she would ever interact with someone like him.

Was he behind this? He couldn't be. She may have attracted a bit of attention from her hacking, but surely it wasn't anything that would garner this kind of attention. And while the guy was known for fucking with his victims, this wasn't his style.

> **___:** hi…
> 
> **Yoosung★:** Gahhhh it’s talking!!
> 
> **ZEN:** So it’s not two smartphones.
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** How did you find this place? Where did you download the application?
> 
> **707:** Oh… ^^; Wait.
> 
> **707:** Just found something. This is weird.
> 
> **707:** I traced the IP… It’s from Rika’s apartment.
> 
> **Yoosung★:** WHAT
> 
> **707:** Someone must have broken into her apt. It talked just now, so it must be a person ^^;
> 
> **___:** um. hi, i’m cate and idk you people or why i’m here…
> 
> **707:** lol so awkward.
> 
> **707:** I thought it was a computer talking.

Catelyn stared at her phone in bewilderment as they began introducing themselves to her. One would think they had the sense to kick her out of the chat. Or at least check to make sure she wasn’t dangerous. Didn’t these people have any self-preservation skills? Also, how was it fair that the infamous 707 was just a year older than her?

“What,” she couldn’t help but say out loud. They started talking about someone’s cat.

> **___:** sorry to interrupt, but it doesn’t seem like anybody here knows what’s going on
> 
> **___:** i mean, i’m sure the adorable kitty is soft and all, but we kinda have a more pressing matter here
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** You make a good point.
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** How did you get to Rika’s apartment?
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** I am always prepared to call the police. I suggest you cooperate, Cate.
> 
> **___:** okay okay;
> 
> **___:** damn, you ain’t here to take anybody’s shit. i respect that
> 
> **___:** kay so, my phone started acting up and this “unknown” person started talking to me and then they gave me this address
> 
> **707:** Was Unknown using this app?
> 
> **___:** yeah
> 
> **707:** But I made it impossible to log in without setting a username. Yet your’s is blank.
> 
> **707:** And I just checked. Nothing’s in the log.
> 
> **707:** Sus
> 
> **707:** pi
> 
> **707:** cious
> 
> **707:** Hey, Cate. He told you the password for the door lock?
> 
> **___:** yeah
> 
> **Jumin Han:** Your story doesn't make sense. Why would you continue speaking to this stranger who gave you a random address?
> 
> **___:** cause random creepy stranger was probably watching me and could’ve probably attacked me? idk about you, but i’d want to live?
> 
> **Jumin Han:** I was merely asking what any rational person would. From our point of view, you’re the stranger here.
> 
> **___:** okay fine. that’s fair
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** We should contact V and explain the situation to him.
> 
> **707:** Already did.
> 
> **707:** It’s fine. I looked into the owner of the device.
> 
> **707:** She’s cute lol~
> 
> **707:** V incoming.
> 
> **_V has entered the chatroom._ **

Catelyn stopped paying attention to the chat as the newcomer, V, started talking about Rika and the apartment and parties.

707 couldn’t have seen a picture of her. In addition to never taking selfies, Catelyn had put layers upon layers of security on her phone. Even if he accessed the front camera, it should’ve taken him ages to do so.

“What the fuck?” Catelyn hissed.

She scrutinized the apartment that Unknown had led her to— Rika’s apartment. The sparse furniture in the living room was covered with a thin layer of dust. She took a few steps forward before deciding against it. Her shoes left footprints on the hardwood floor. From the doorway, she could see the entrance to the kitchen and a closed door that presumably led to the bedroom.

Catelyn’s apartment was roomier. And nicer.

Having had enough of eyeing the apartment, she went returned to the RFA chatroom.

> **707:** catie
> 
> **707:** cat
> 
> **707:** catelyn
> 
> **707:** ceighteleign
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** (눈 _ 눈)・・・
> 
> **707:** caterino
> 
> **707:** !!
> 
> **707:** She’s back!
> 
> **707:** ╰(≧ ▽ ≦)ﻭ
> 
> **___:** howdy
> 
> **Yoosung★:** Howdy?
> 
> **707:** Howdy!
> 
> **707:** Soooo…
> 
> **Jumin Han:** Everyone stop messing around.
> 
> **Jumin Han:** Cate, will you join RFA?
> 
> **___:** uh
> 
> **___:** could you give me a sec?
> 
> **Jumin Han:** Alright.

Catelyn scrolled up, skimming through what the RFA had said. Party planning didn’t seem too bad. It’d give her an excuse to stick around. And, she could probably make use of Jumin and 707’s resources in another encounter with Unknown. She scrolled back down.

> **___:** sure, i’ll give it a go
> 
> **Yoosung★:** Wow. I thought you’d take longer to decide.
> 
> **Jumin Han:** Ha. I like it.
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** I wonder if you have thought this through, Cate. You may not be a careful person.

Catelyn decided that she liked Jaehee Kang. She was someone who definitely had her priorities straight. After all, had the situation been reversed, Catelyn would be equally as wary— if not more so.

> **707:** Congratulations! You, Catelyn Meng, are now an official RFA member!
> 
> **707:** ╰(≧ ▽ ≦)ﻭ
> 
> **707:** It’s a verbal contract so we don’t really need ur signature.
> 
> **Ceighteleign:** …I never told you my full name.
> 
> **707:** Woopsies~
> 
> **Ceighteleign:** woopsies.
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** …
> 
> **Ceighteleign:** …my username.
> 
> **707:** ❤
> 
> **Ceighteleign:** You Will Change It This Instance Or So Help Me.
> 
> **707:** Okay! ‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )‧º·˚
> 
> **Catie Cat:** .
> 
> **Yoosung★:** Lmao.
> 
> **ZEN:** Oi, Seven. Stop messing with Cate.
> 
> **Catie Cat:** turn on your location, i just wanna talk
> 
> **707:** Oh, gtg. Gonna check sth.
> 
> **707:** Adios~
> 
> **_707 has left the chatroom._ **
> 
> **Cate:** DON’T LEAVE YET
> 
> **Cate:** oh
> 
> **Cate:** okay nvm, this is fine
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** Anyway. Since Cate has joined, I think everyone can leave if they need to.

Everyone said their goodbyes and left the chatroom. Catelyn stared at her home screen, not knowing what to do next.

“Oh!” she said suddenly. Catelyn took out her work phone and went to her text messages.

> **stark:** Try not to die while I get there.
> 
> **You:** no need to come save me anymore
> 
> **You:** technically, since you didn’t get here, you still owe me a favor :)
> 
> **stark:** Are you serious?
> 
> **You:** yeeeeah
> 
> **stark:** I’m halfway there.
> 
> **You:** i will pay you for your troubles
> 
> **You:** cmon
> 
> **You:** pls
> 
> **You:** 100k won
> 
> **You:** 250k won
> 
> **stark:** No.
> 
> **You:** you drive a hard bargain…
> 
> **You:** 500k won.
> 
> **stark:** Fine.
> 
> **You:** wow. i see how it is.
> 
> **You:** :’( oh stark, i thought you loved me
> 
> **You:** i knew it,,,, you were only using me for my money ಥ^ಥ
> 
> **You:** i’m so hurt
> 
> **stark:** You remind me so much of someone I know. It’s not a good thing.
> 
> **You:** you’re having an affair?? T-T oh, how you betray my love
> 
> **You:** was it all a sick game to you? ‘ ᵔ ‘ why must you toy with my delicate heart like this
> 
> **stark:** I’m not going to respond to that.
> 
> **stark:** Just pay me.
> 
> **You:** kayyy

Catelyn went to the conversation with her roommate.

> **XX-XXX-XXX-XXX:** ?
> 
> **XX-XXX-XXX-XXX:** Oh.
> 
> **XX-XXX-XXX-XXX:** Being a ghost does not excuse you from paying this month’s rent
> 
> **XX-XXX-XXX-XXX:** So is the bird mine now?
> 
> **You:** nooo not my baby
> 
> **You:** i’m alive
> 
> **XX-XXX-XXX-XXX:** Hmm
> 
> **You:** jasper
> 
> **XX-XXX-XXX-XXX:** What
> 
> **You:** i need to erase this convo from your phone when i get home
> 
> **XX-XXX-XXX-XXX:** Got it

Catelyn went back to the RFA messenger when she saw a text from 707.

> **707:** Whatchu doing there, Miss 606?
> 
> **707:** Who ya textin?
> 
> **Cate:** there are cameras in this apartment?
> 
> **707:** ^^ Course. High res, great zoom, 10/10 best cameras
> 
> **707:** So, my question. Don’t think I didn’t notice you trying to change the subject~
> 
> **Cate:** damn
> 
> **707:** I told V you weren’t a threat.
> 
> **707:** Cos you aren’t.
> 
> **707:** For the most part.
> 
> **707:** But if you do become trouble
> 
> **707:** ^^
> 
> **Cate:** is that a threat?
> 
> **707:** Nope.
> 
> **707:** It’s a promise. :)
> 
> **Cate:** oh? okay then
> 
> **Cate:** okay
> 
> **Cate:** Seven
> 
> **707:** Yes?
> 
> **Cate:** how long do i have to stay in this apartment
> 
> **707:** Forever
> 
> **Cate:** dainty gasp
> 
> **Cate:** Sir Seven, please save me! an evil queen has locked me up in her filthy tower!
> 
> **707:** My lady :O I shall come to your rescue! Or my name isn’t Sir Seven Oh Seven II!
> 
> **707:** Ohhh no! It’s the taser-wielding dragon, Vandy!
> 
> **Cate:** will you be okay, sir seven oh seven ii?
> 
> **707:** Do not fret, Lady Catelyn. I will slay the beast! Remain in the tower for the time being, for what lies beyond it is so deadly, words cannot describe it.
> 
> **707:** I shall return for you in the morning, my lady.

Catelyn wasn’t looking forward to spending the night in Rika’s apartment. The dust particles seem to have multiplied since she last checked. Nasty. She knew bunnies bred like crazy, but she didn’t think that that applied to the dust variety as well. She’d have to clean everything if she wanted to sleep here.

Curse the evil queen and her dust bunny henchmen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *screeches into the void because do you have any idea how long and how full of information the prologue is when you're trying to rewrite and condense it because it's a lot okay*
> 
> but also
> 
> #giveMCamoreactiveroleinthestory2018


	2. You Haven't Lived If You've Never Done A Villainous Monologue

Catelyn woke up to varying levels of discomfort in her face, neck, and lower back. She had slept on her stomach, face down. The bridge of her nose hurt from her glasses digging into her face. She felt as stiff as Rika’s white leather sofa. There was a plush mattress over in the next room, but Catelyn wasn’t comfortable sleeping in a stranger's bed— let alone a dead woman's bed.

She sat up and stretched, wondering if the cameras in this apartment picked up audio— they probably did— as her body crackled like Pop Rocks. She smiled, amused, as she thought about how unsettled Seven would be if he were listening.

It was quiet, save for the soft thumps of her socked feet on the wooden floor. Rika’s bedroom door squeaked in protest when Catelyn opened it. Her eyes stayed glued to her phone as she walked into the bathroom.

It was noon. Catelyn was usually up at the crack of dawn, courtesy of her bird, but it was Saturday, so she didn't mind.

* * *

For what seemed like centuries, Catelyn had been bored and unsatisfied.

In the first five years of her life alone, she had gone from Seoul to Guangzhou to New York. Her parents, a working middle-class couple, couldn't afford to support another kid. Her father worked six days a week while her mother worked weekdays during her school hours. Their jobs made them tired and irritable. Catelyn was left alone most of the time.

School was dull. Everyone had already grouped up into their own little social circles. They didn't want more friends, so Catelyn didn't bother trying to join them. She befriended the new girl, Lucy, in third grade. Lucy was cute and bubbly. It was such a shame when Lucy moved away after fourth grade.

Some higher power must've felt bad for her because in sixth grade, her parents got her a laptop. It was chunky and heavy and made a stuttering whirring noise whenever the screen got too warm. And she loved it.

She accidentally dropped it a few times, which resulted in angry yellow and purple bruises scattered across her skin and two blotches of dead pixels on the screen. Her skin healed, but her laptop didn't. After that, Catelyn made sure to take extra care of her laptop. She absorbed whatever knowledge of computers she could get her hands on, binging book after book and scrolling webpage after webpage.

In the summer of her freshman year in high school, Catelyn chickened out on applying for a job and went with volunteer work instead. She scoured the Internet for something that would interest her and ended up volunteering at a bird rescue center.

The novelty of taking care of birds wore off after some time and Catelyn moved on to the next thing: the programming club. They had sleek computer monitors that made her self-conscious of her horribly outdated laptop.

Inexplicably, some of the club members hated her. She started skipping club to avoid them. On one of those days, someone tried accessing the files on her flash drive and crushed it in frustration when they couldn’t. To this day, she had no idea how they got ahold of it.

Months later, the club participated in an international programming competition. A few people were unable to join as their computers had mysteriously erased themselves. It was a shame, but Catelyn was too busy with the competition to help. She bought a new laptop, a monitor, a keyboard, a mouse, and a phone with the prize money. Her parents took the rest of it. After all, they said, it wasn't like she needed all of it.

After the competition, someone approached her about working for the organization he represented. Well, sure, Catelyn thought. She needed something to do anyway since she didn’t plan on rejoining the programming club.

She regretted her decision the moment she met her supervisor, Keller. Having worked with the organization for years, he was pissed that he had to babysit some kid. Keller gave her task after task, each more time-consuming then the last.

Catelyn must’ve worn him down with her stubborn patience because eventually, he stopped being such an ass, begrudgingly accepting that yes, the kid was here and no, the kid wasn't leaving.

It was the specifications of an assignment she got that told Catelyn something was off about the organization. Horrified at the implications of being trusted enough to be given the task in the first place, Catelyn hastily took some precautions to protect herself in case something happened to her. She didn't sign up for this shit.

Nothing could compare to the sheer _terror_ Catelyn felt when she was called into Keller's office shortly after. Keller— bless that man— made no mention of the security breach in the organization's server. Instead, he said, "Hey, kid. Let me show you how to cover up your tracks when hacking."

At that point, Catelyn was sick of school. There was nothing keeping her there. She graduated at the end of junior year.

She was sixteen, out of high school, with no idea what to do next. Her parents left it up to her. It didn’t matter to them as long as she got paid and she got paid well.

Catelyn was bored. And, admittedly, lonely. So, she adopted a parrot. The parrot was a laid-back but affectionate bird. Catelyn named her Gao. Gao stayed in Catelyn's room most of the time, where Catelyn's parents couldn't complain about her.

Catelyn still hadn't quit her job. Sure, not every task was, ethical, per se, but it was fun and challenging. Besides, it wasn't as if Catelyn did anything _too_ bad. She and Keller had come to a silent agreement. As long as Catelyn didn't reject too many assignments and did well on the ones she did take, there would be no issues.

At Keller's request, Catelyn had given him a copy of the files she retrieved from the organization's database. Whatever he chose to do with it, she didn't want to know.

She started college with many of the credits she needed to graduate already. Her job paid her well enough that she could take college courses during the two years she spent after high school. After the first year of college, Catelyn transferred out to go to SKY University. She quit her job and left for Seoul, taking her bird with her.

Catelyn paid for both her parents' and her living expenses. To take off some of her financial burden, Catelyn got a roommate. Her roommate's name was Jasper, a musician who was a year above her. They also went to SKY, but Catelyn and Jasper's programs were too different for them to see each other anywhere besides at their shared apartment.

She had liked picking and choosing what assignments to take and took up freelancing. Besides that and her academic obligations, Catelyn essentially had no life. She was in a perpetual stasis.

Then, like a bear rudely woken up by a bunch of campers with nothing better to do, Catelyn was hacked by Unknown. It was a major blow to her pride, getting hacked like that, but she had to say, she'd have the time of her life taking them down.

* * *

The RFA members were interesting, not to mention unfairly attractive. They seemed nice enough to Catelyn, but she supposed it was largely due to them needing her to host their party.

Their leader, V, had accepted her into his organization so readily. Here she was, a potentially dangerous stranger, and he just let her join. From what Catelyn could tell, the RFA party and messenger were their last links to their friend and to each other. It was kind of sad. Especially for V, who had been Rika's lover.

Damn. That was so _messy_. Was she sure she wanted any part in this? She could leave at any time she wanted to, really. She wasn't obligated to help these people.

But, of course, she would stay and help anyway because she had already agreed to it. Besides, she didn't think she could leave without feeling bad about it.

Catelyn answered texts from some of the RFA as she sat on Rika's bathroom floor.

If they wanted this party so much, she'd give it to them, she thought as she sent a reply to Jaehee. It wasn't like she had to do much. She just needed to convince people to attend a party. She didn't even have to come up with the guest list. Honestly, she couldn't understand why the RFA made this out to be so difficult.

Catelyn saw Seven's text last. It was short but worrying: "Call me. Asap." Yeah, okay. Of course the universe would punish her with a sharp knife of anxiety for being so cocky. She called Seven, not giving herself time to overthink it. He picked up almost immediately.

"You're still at the apartment, right? I see your bag on one of the sofas," said Seven.

"Yeah, I'm in the bathroom. What's up?" said Catelyn.

She didn't think that there were cameras in here, but it was nice to have confirmation anyway.

"How well protected are your devices?" asked Seven.

“You went digging for information on me."

"Yep!"

Catelyn blanched at his bluntness but didn't say anything as she thought about her next words. "Didn't you find enough before, when I first entered the chatroom?"

“Ah, but a young kitten always looks for more milk if you tease it with just a little. Meow~” said Seven.

His voice took on a playful lilt that Catelyn found amusing. She relaxed herself and decided it couldn’t hurt to play along.

"Leaving out milk attracts all the other neighborhood cats. My house would be infested," said Catelyn.

"And yet you leave the back door is wide open? Tsk, tsk, tsk. A strange cat has already infiltrated your house last night to steal all the milk," said Seven.

"Excuse you?"

"Uhm... Yeah. Bad news," said Seven, "So, no offense or anything, but hacking into your phone is—well— easy as fuck.

Before you get mad— Don’t get me wrong, you’re security’s insane. Like, underground-bunker-Arabic-security-gate level paranoid. But, uh, that's for the one in your bag. Unknown kinda obliterated the defenses of this phone."

" _Fuck_ ," said Catelyn.

"You can't leave the apartment. It's the safest place you can be right now. And don't use anything on your phone besides the messenger."

"Right. Respectfully, I think the fuck not," said Catelyn, "Look, I'm not gonna stay here. Unknown knows my exact location and I'd have limited access to the outside world. That's a murder mystery waiting to happen."

"Yeah, but _I_ can keep an eye on you if you're at the apartment. If you're in danger, I could help."

"Not possible. You'd need me here 24/7. I'm good, I can protect myself just fine. Also, I kinda have a life. Pretty sure that me being reported missing or whatever would only serve to complicate things."

"... Point taken."

Catelyn tapped her nails against the lilac and gray tiles of the floor as she waited to see if Seven had anything else to say. She sat back against the sink cabinet. After a good ten seconds of awkwardly listening to the sound of Seven's breathing, Catelyn said, "You can't actually stop me from staying the hell away from here, but you'll be a pain in the ass if I do, right? Don't answer that. How 'bout this? I'll at least come here from time to time. That sound good?"

"Yes."

"Great. Now that we've gotten that over with, I'm gonna go and ditch this phone. Don't worry your pretty little head. I'll be quick. Ciao," said Catelyn, hanging up so Seven couldn't respond.

* * *

Rika's apartment building had a receptionist. He was like an NPC, fading into the background when you weren't interacting with him. Catelyn would've ignored him had he not suddenly stirred with movement as she stepped foot into the lobby. Again, NPC. He placed a cardboard box, roughly the size of a small plant pot, on his desk and looked at her as if to say, "Well? What are you waiting for?" The box had a light pink post-it note shaped like a cat on it that said "open me."

Catelyn had the elevator to herself as she made her way up to the fourteenth floor, where Rika's apartment was. She tore off the tape keeping the box shut and opened it. Inside was a keycard with the RFA logo on it, a star-shaped sticker, and another post-it.

The note was an infuriating little thing that took after the guy who wrote it. Catelyn knew that Seven would annoy her back for leaving the apartment like that, but she wasn't expecting anything so soon. The sticker was a tracking device. Seven, being the kind and generous person that he was, gave Catelyn two options: keep the sticker with her at all times or don’t and he would just hack her phone.

Catelyn had found at least two cameras in each of the apartment's rooms, excluding the bathroom, when she cleaned it. She held her phone up at the one above the television, showing off the newest addition to her phone case. It was a cute sticker, but Catelyn wasn't going to tell Seven that. Instead, she stared directly into the camera lens and gave it an unimpressed look.

She sprawled out on the sofa and checked the messenger. Zen and Yoosung were online. Catelyn thought Seven would be there, but apparently not. She'd deal with him later.

> **_Cate has entered the chatroom._ **
> 
> **ZEN:** A pretty lady has entered the chatroom.
> 
> **Cate:** not so bad yourself ;)
> 
> **Cate:** you come here often? ;))))))
> 
> **ZEN:** For you, sure ;)
> 
> **Cate:** lmao
> 
> **Yoosung★:** Guys, I'm here too : <
> 
> **Cate:** hi yoosung
> 
> **Cate:** what do you wanna talk about then
> 
> **Yoosung★:** I really want to know what kind of person you are, Cate.
> 
> **ZEN:** Me too.
> 
> **Cate:** sure. ask away
> 
> **ZEN:** What do you do besides working for the RFA?
> 
> **Cate:** i’m a student
> 
> **Yoosung★:** Really?? What school do you go to?
> 
> **Cate:** sky
> 
> **Yoosung★:** Omg same. What’s your major?
> 
> **Yoosung★:** Everyone always talks about their jobs T_T I’m so glad I’m not the only student anymore.
> 
> **Cate:** compsci
> 
> **ZEN:** Yoosung, what’s your major? You never talk about your classes.
> 
> **Yoosung★:** ...That’s because I don’t really remember what happens in class...
> 
> **Cate:** yo what?? what year are you
> 
> **Yoosung★:** Sophomore.
> 
> **Cate:** dude how tf are you gonna survive 2 more years of this
> 
> **Yoosung★:** Well what year are you?
> 
> **Cate:** technically also a sophomore
> 
> **ZEN:** How can you technically be a sophomore?
> 
> **Cate:** it’s cuz i’m graduating this year
> 
> **Yoosung★:** Oh damn
> 
> **ZEN:** Wow. You know, I never really studied when I was a student. I really admire people who work so hard academically.
> 
> **Cate:** oh,,, uh,,,,, well. i'm kinda just at sky to get my diploma and dip... i mean, i care more about my job tbh
> 
> **Yoosung★:** Noooo I thought I wasn't gonna be the only one here without a job anymore
> 
> **Yoosung★:** (◞ ＿ ◟|||)
> 
> **ZEN:** Lol. What's your job, Cate?

Catelyn paused and felt the displeasure of a million hackers descend upon her mortal soul. She really shouldn't have mentioned her job. As far as she knew, Seven could've been watching her and was waiting to see how she would respond. She wouldn't put it past him to be able to see the chatroom without logging on.

Damn. It was surprising— stupidly so— how easily she had given up information about herself. Something about Zen's vibe made it hard to act indifferent to him. Yoosung too. It was somewhat worrying.

Well, she had to say _something_ , else it would lead to prodding questions that she'd have to leap over hurdles to dodge.

> **Cate:** i do freelance programming
> 
> **ZEN:** So you pick what jobs to take? I do that with the roles I take in musicals.
> 
> **Cate:** yeah. so what musicals have you been in?
> 
> **ZEN:** Oh, you're not a fan? That's okay.
> 
> **ZEN:** I'll text you a list of musicals I've been in. You can use this as a chance to see my wonderful talents in action.
> 
> **ZEN:** ☆⌒(ゝ◡∂)
> 
> **Yoosung★:** #shameless self promo
> 
> **Cate:** what a mood

Catelyn was happy to let the conversation shift from her to musicals as Zen continued talking about his job. Yoosung left at some point to play LOLOL and Zen left a little while after.

She was more of a reader, but she supposed she would watch a few musicals. A good chunk of the day was gone anyway. Might as well waste the rest of it away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey,,,,, to the person whose comment i replied to saying that i'd post chapter 2 sometime in october (and whoever saw that reply): i'm really sorry about that pal. i completely lost track of the time.
> 
> if anyone's noticed, i got rid of "*___ emoji*" for each time someone uses their custom emojis in the chatroom. it felt extremely awkward to write and i'm sure it was extremely awkward to read


	3. Wednesday Is The Middle Child Of The Week

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi, i'm alive. i'm hella slow, but this fic will not be abandoned unless i say so
> 
> uhhhh,,,,,, i missed quite a bit, so, happy holidays, happy new year, happy lunar new year, and happy valentines day
> 
> i edited chapter 1 so it feels less like big stoopid
> 
> i'll be talking about v's after ending and rika in the end chapter notes, if anyone's interested in that. take this as a spoiler warning

A hooded figure bent over a keyboard, fingers flying across the keys. The room's only light source was lines of code chasing each other off a monitor. Catelyn’s eyes burned as she worked. The siren call of her bed grew sweeter and sweeter. Her half-empty mug of coffee sat at the edge of her vision, nestled amongst papers and miscellaneous items.

Ah, the lone hacker stereotype, always fun to play into.

In another universe, she was a vigilante, breaking into a corrupt government’s database. She imagined dozens of state governments, all too disinclined to fix a political landscape riddled with embezzlement, fraud, and propaganda. She gets hailed a hero, having exposed and ruined the corrupt politicians. She guards over cyberspace until her untimely death at the hands of an assassin.

Alas, the Catelyn of this world didn’t have intentions anywhere near as zealous.

She was looking at the RFA messenger server. Not to save the world, but to help herself. In the past few days, she had been using her free time to poke her head into the RFA server. It was like a fortress with all its barricades and booby traps. While Seven didn’t appreciate her curiosity, she didn’t care to stop. The countermeasures he kept implementing only served to spur her on.

Sometimes the little bastard left surprises for her. A jump scare here, a virus there— that kind of thing. Her least favorite, by far, was the one that just popped up: a screenshot of an Instagram comment from when she was a weeb.

Not to say that she wasn’t still a weeb, but she thought she had come a long way from those Dark times.

Catelyn’s face burned as she pressed her lips into a mortified smile. She stared at her keyboard with her head bowed. Never, in her entire life, has she been so attacked— so insulted. Couldn't two people have a rivalry without one of them resorting to petty attacks?

Naturally, the only choice Catelyn had now was to take revenge. Letting this slide would not only be an injustice to her, but to Seven as well. Who else would tape pictures of squished roaches to the cameras in Rika’s apartment? Certainly not V, the only other person with access to it.

* * *

It was frustratingly amazing how much people could interact with each other without ever saying anything of substance. Yes, the elephant was _right there_. Yes, it was blocking the door. And yes, no one can leave the room. But who would move it? Elephants are heavy, and it's not like the room has a forklift.

Unknown had taken Catelyn's security with them when they vanished. Until she rebuilt what she lost, Seven had to do the hacker chasing, which brought her to her current predicament. She could demand Seven tell her his progress, but anything he had to say wouldn't be anything she didn't already know.

Though breaking into his server gave her the sense of productivity her mind needed, her search for Unknown was fruitless.

Her only hope was to continue bettering her hacking skills. She kept the timer on her phone going as she worked. Slow and steady won the race, but not if a wall of fire was closing in, gobbling up anyone who lagged behind for even a second.

Filling out clients' requests were one thing. Hacking for the sake of hacking was another. Catelyn didn't need more money than she could earn. Nor did she have a use for anyone's personal information. In fact, she fancied herself as a creator who took the extra step to test her products on an unsuspecting victim. If hacking to hack got her back to doing whatever she felt like, then of course she would do it.

She yawned like she had been up for every night and day of Earth since its creation. An onslaught of more yawns followed it. Her too bright phone screen said it was 3 am. She rubbed her eyes and pushed her glasses up her nose. She texted Jasper, asking them to feed Gao if she didn’t wake up in time.

She had a class at eleven.

* * *

It was a joke at first, but it worked, so Catelyn kept doing it. After getting four hours and twenty minutes of sleep, she woke up without feeling dead tired. Getting through the day was a different story, but that was nothing caffeine couldn't help. She filled her thermos as much as it could go before she went to class.

The whoosh of cars driving on wet asphalt roads kept her company as she walked. It had rained earlier in the day. The smell of earth and ozone still lingered in the air. Light gray clouds in the sky promised there would be more rain later on.

Rush hours were long over so the buses weren’t packed, but Catelyn chose to walk. SKY was at most twenty minutes away anyway.

She had plenty of time to spare when she got to SKY. A mass of sleep-deprived students crowded the main entrance. She yawned, sharing a look of kinship with a zombie who yawned at the same time. Most people were ambling down the path. Some, with harried looks on their faces, scampered towards the building.

Collisions tended to happen at the start of the school year with freshmen who hadn’t adjusted to their schedules yet. Some happened from time to time, though. Like now, for example.

Catelyn hadn’t paid attention to the commotion behind her. Nor had she paid attention to the person who yelled “Watch out!” (She couldn’t have been expected to be paying attention. After all, one of the most important lessons they taught in kindergarten was to mind your own business.) So, someone came barreling into her side, almost knocking her over.

The audacity of some people. Maybe it came from having grown up a New Yorker, but Catelyn couldn't help the surge of indignance that welled up inside her. She was tired and wanted to go home and do nothing. What class was so important that warranted this kind of bullshit?

She whirled around.

A blond kid stood in front of her, apologizing profusely in both English and Korean. Her anger faded to mild annoyance. It took a special kind of asshole to put down someone the world has already fucked over. This guy needed all the sympathy he could get, judging by his pallid face and dark eye bags.

“ _You okay there?_ ” she asked in Korean.

“ _Are you? I mean, I ran into you, so..._ ” The guy trailed off, touching his hair clips to make sure they were still in place. “ _I’m so sorry. But I’m so late, oh my god._ ”

Catelyn made a dismissive noise. “ _It's– Yeah. It’s fine. I get it._ ” Blond Kid shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Someone came up from behind them and pointedly walked around them. “Oh. _Hey, if we’re gonna talk, let’s not do this standing in the middle of the path?_ ”

Blond Kid nodded.

“ _Rough morning?_ ” Catelyn asked to fill the silence.

“ _I slept through my alarm and missed the bus._ ”

“Oof.” She pointed to a couple strolling in front of them. The guy was decked out in Supreme clothing and his girlfriend held a large cup of Starbucks. “Heh. _Be glad you didn’t run into those two._ ”

Blond Kid laughed. “ _Um, I’m Kim Yoosung, by the way._ ”

Catelyn almost stopped walking. She looked at Blond Kid, who had distinctively violet eyes. "Oh. Ohhhh. Damn.”

Yoosung was reminiscent of a puppy as he tilted his head in confusion.

“ _Hi. It’s Cate._ Uh. My profile pic is literally just my bird so you wouldn’t know, but—” She gave him a wave. “—hi.”

“ _What…_ ” Yoosung’s eyes lit up in recognition. “Oh, hi! Wow, I can’t believe I get to meet you first!”

“Well, we’re at the doors, so we can’t really talk.”

“When does your class end? We could meet at the library if you want.”

“Yeah, sure. I end at one thirty. You?”

“Twelve— but it’s fine, I can wait.”

“You sure? Alright,” said Catelyn. “So, uh, didn’t you say you were late?”

“ _Oh shit._ ” Yoosung ran for the elevators.

* * *

> **Yoosung★:** I met Cate today
> 
> **Yoosung★:** (๑´ᴗ`๑)
> 
> **Yoosung★:** Who’s jealous?
> 
> **707:** D:
> 
> **Yoosung★:** She’s nice. She didn’t even yell at me for bumping into her.
> 
> **707:** Lololol. I bet she secretly wanted to yell at you.
> 
> **_Cate has entered the chatroom._**
> 
> **Yoosung★:** Nooooo… Do you really think so?
> 
> **Cate:** nah fam. if anyone deserves to be yelled at, it’s seven :))
> 
> **707:** Me?
> 
> **707:** N-nani?
> 
> **Yoosung★:** Cate! Are you coming now?
> 
> **Cate:** you fiend. you know exactly what you’ve done.
> 
> **Cate:** and yeah i’m almost at the lib
> 
> **707:** You’re meeting up to become besties? Without inviting me??
> 
> **Cate:** yep
> 
> **Yoosung★:** lol
> 
> **Cate:** yoosung, i’m here. where are you
> 
> **Yoosung★:** Table closest to the front desk :)
> 
> **Cate:** k. bye seven :)))
> 
> **707:** (_　_|||)
> 
> **_Cate has left the chatroom._ **

Catelyn waved to Yoosung when they spotted each other. She sat in a chair next to him and put her backpack on the floor. “ _Hey_ ,” she said, “I have to check on something real quick. Give me a sec?”

“Okay.”

Catelyn took out her laptop and opened the code for an old program. Her eyes struggled to focus as she scrolled through the code. She was stalling, but Yoosung didn’t have to know that.

Agreeing to come to the library was a bad idea.

She didn’t have anything against the guy, but she wasn’t keen on talking to him. It wasn’t every day you talked to the cousin of a dead woman whose job and apartment you’ve taken. No normal person could hold a conversation without wanting to die of awkwardness and a vague sense of guilt. She knew they would run into each other eventually, but she wasn’t expecting it to be so soon.

At least she won’t have to meet the rest of the RFA until the party. She would get a good idea of how to interact with them by then. Speaking of which, V had yet to set a date for it. Guests were asking about it in their emails, and Catelyn had to get back to them.

“Yoosung,” said Catelyn, looking up from her laptop, “Has V said anything about the party date?”

“No.” Yoosung narrowed his eyes. “He’s irresponsible like that. He hasn’t even been online.”

“Huh. Really? What about the other parties? What were they like?”

Out of the two previous RFA parties, Yoosung's favorite had to be the first. He didn't realize just how many people Rika convinced to attend the party until he saw them himself. Even people who weren't interested in fundraising were there. She was charismatic, so at ease smiling and talking to party guests. Like planets to the sun, they were captivated by her gravitational pull.

Yoosung's face shone with happiness as he spoke. It was adorable.

* * *

It was raining by the time Catelyn left SKY. She opened an umbrella and stepped over a puddle as she exited the building.

The umbrella had a rose-pink gradient that cast a tint on her skin and clothes. The pink was darkest in the center and faded to white at the edges. It had originally been Jasper’s, but something so pretty didn’t go long without being stolen in their shared apartment. She gave them her green one to make it fair.

She headed straight for her room when she got home. Gao chirped a greeting the moment she opened the door. “Hi sweetie. Did you miss me?”

The responding chirp was barely audible over the music playing in the background, but Catelyn appreciated it nonetheless. An mp3 player sat on her desk, on top of a pack of index cards. Dead silence stressed Gao out, and there was only so much of it that she could fill by talking to herself. Besides, Catelyn had to instill a good taste in music in her somehow.

She opened the door of Gao’s cage, gesturing for her to come out. Gao rubbed her blue head against Catelyn’s hand for head scratches. “How’s the prettiest bird in existence doing today? You ready for a shower?”

She nipped Catelyn’s fingers affectionately.

Unless Gao was given a shower, it wasn't a rainy day, it was just a day where water happened to fall from the sky. Catelyn didn’t let her out in the cold rain, but in front of the balcony doors was close enough.

Gao rode on her left arm as she set up a shower perch in the living room. Using her unoccupied arm, she placed a plastic sheet on the floor. On the coffee table was a spray bottle that Jasper— bless their kind soul— had filled with lukewarm water. They waved her away from the couch when she thanked them.

“Come on, sweetie. Step up,” said Catelyn as she lowered her arm to the perch. Gao hopped off and onto the perch. “Good job.”

The spray bottle had a pump, which qualified it for a spot in her list of most thought out purchases. All she had to do was pump it a few times and the bottle did the rest.

Mist rained down on Gao’s ruffled feathers. Shiny water droplets formed on her wings as she flapped them. A good amount of it sprayed Catelyn, but her hoodie and jeans were already wet from the rain. She kept the shower brief, giving Gao enough time to dry before bedtime.

She joined Jasper on the couch after putting everything away and changing into dry clothes. “Hi,” she said.

“Hey.” Their eyes stayed glued to their phone.

“Jasper.” Catelyn wrapped her cold fingers around the back of their neck. “Love me.”

They jolted away and gave her a dirty look.

“Affection. Give.”

“Sometimes I wonder if you learned to be an attention whore from Gao or if she learned it from you.” The bird in question was chattering to herself on the coffee table.

Catelyn gasped and brought a hand to her chest. “That’s rude. Take it back.”

“Fuck off,” they said, going back to their phone.

Catelyn leaned her head against their shoulder to look at memes with them. “… You smell like laundry detergent.”

“Thanks.”

“I’m bored. And tired.”

“Then nap, idiot.”

“No you.” She yawned.

The pitter-patter of rain registered somewhere in the back of her mind. Raindrops fell on the balcony that made _plip_ and _clorp_ sounds. She felt pressure in her head that she realized, belatedly, was a headache.

She pulled out her phone and stared at it in her lap. A hundred years could pass, and she’d still be amazed by the power this little thing had. Only a few taps of her fingers and she had access to an ever-growing accumulation of data. The possibilities were endless. She could do _anything_.

She went on the RFA messenger and opened a chatroom. No one was on but her. A weary sigh bubbled up from the recesses of her soul, but she didn’t have the strength to let it out.

She pressed more of her body weight against Jasper. They patted her head and showed her their phone screen. Heh. It was a surreal meme about croutons.

She shut her eyes and snuggled Jasper’s left arm until her phone went off. Music sprung from her phone, accompanied by a bass, announcing the arrival of Seven. She smiled, but turned down the volume, not wanting to annoy Jasper.

> **707:** God!
> 
> **Cate:** seven!
> 
> **707:** Has!
> 
> **Cate:** arrived!
> 
> **707:** I have so much work to do
> 
> **707:** so I came here!
> 
> **Cate:** ew don’t even think that word in my presence
> 
> **Cate:** my first class starts at nine am tomorrow. like,,,,,,,,,,? is?? my professor okay?
> 
> **_Jaehee Kang has entered the chatroom._ **
> 
> **707:** At least you’ll be out in a few months. Poor Seveny is boss’ slave for.
> 
> **707:** e.
> 
> **707:** ver.
> 
> **_Jaehee Kang has left the chatroom._ **
> 
> **707:** ‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )‧º·˚
> 
> **Cate:** such is the fate of the elite ( ◞ _ ◟ )
> 
> **Cate:** oh no jaehee
> 
> **Cate:** come back

Catelyn let out an exhale through her nose that turned into a laugh. Poor Jaehee. She got away from work and the first thing she saw was a conversation about work.

Jasper nudged her with the elbow she still held onto. “Meme? Or did you finally make friends?” they asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You know what? I choose to be touched that you care about my social life rather than insulted that you think I have no friends.”

“You don’t, though. The bird doesn’t count.”

“Look, that may be true, but you don’t have to say it.” Just to flex on them with her very eventful life, she told them about the RFA and the upcoming party.

“Hmm. Nice to see you doing something that’ll get you out of your room for once. You gonna be okay talking to people face to face?”

“Oh. Fuck,” said Catelyn. She laughed nervously. “That’ll be a problem for future me.”

They nudged her. “You’ll live.”

She gave them a noncommittal hum, cuddling into their side. She'd deal with it when she had to deal with it. For now, she was comfortably warm, taking full advantage of Jasper the radiator.

She went back to the chatroom. Seven had proclaimed her dead and was holding her funeral when Jaehee entered the chat, followed by Jumin minutes after. Catelyn watched the chat, jumping in at the right time.

> **Cate:** the magnitude of .01% of god seven's power blew me away to a far, far galaxy. but! with the power determination, i have traversed through the universe to return to earth
> 
> **707:** Commander Cate, please report the findings from your space travels.
> 
> **Cate:** sir! i’ve discovered a previously undocumented life form. sentience has not been confirmed yet.

Catelyn sent a picture of Gao. Shredded pomegranate rind and membrane covered a dining table. The table itself was sticky with vibrant red juice stains. Gao, like the little green alien she was, stood in the center, devouring pomegranate guts.

> **Cate:** Behold. g a o!
> 
> **Cate:** (short for Great Avian Overlord)
> 
> **707:** my my my, what a fine specimen
> 
> **Cate:** prettiest creature in the galaxy :’)
> 
> **Jumin Han:** You must be mistaken because that title belongs to Elizabeth the 3rd.
> 
> **Cate:** no, YOU’RE mistaken. it belongs to gao
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** ….
> 
> **Cate:** sweetie don’t test me, you have no idea how prepared i am to fight you

Jumin responded by sending a picture of Elizabeth as a kitten. She had a foreleg out, mid-step towards the camera. Her head was tilted back to look at it with wide almond-shaped baby blues.

> **707:** ♡ (๑♡ᵕ ♡๑ )
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** Oh god

A strong first move, but Catelyn was ready with a counterattack. She sent a picture of Gao, cradled in her arms like a baby. On the day it was taken, she and Gao had claimed a spot on Jasper's bed, having nothing better to do. After a nice, long period of doing nothing, Gao fell asleep on Catelyn's chest.

Jumin sent another picture. It was a little blurry, but the blurriness could be blamed on the fuzzy rug underneath Elizabeth. Her paws were tucked in, forming an adorable cat loaf. It tested Catelyn's self-restraint, but she resisted the urge to coo at it.

She scrolled through her photos until she found the perfect one: Gao sitting in her lap, head tucked into her back feathers. Her eyes were half-open, on the brink of falling asleep.

Catelyn yawned, a slow, tear-filled yawn, where blinking did nothing but squeeze the moisture out of her eyes. She rubbed her eyes.

> **Cate:** i can go on forever
> 
> **Jumin Han:** As can I.
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** Do not.
> 
> **707:** d o
> 
> **Cate:** :(
> 
> **Cate:** ok, truce?
> 
> **Jumin Han:** Acceptable
> 
> **Jumin Han:** Though I'm sure the victor here is clear.
> 
> **707:** Elly ♡ (๑♡ᵕ ♡๑ )
> 
> **Cate:** lizzy and gao can be the prettiest in their respective species
> 
> **Cate:** oh
> 
> **Cate:** ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
> 
> **Jumin Han:** Her name is Elizabeth the 3rd.
> 
> **707:** Elly
> 
> **Cate:** oh i gtg. but Jumin, know that this is Not over
> 
> **_Cate has left the chatroom._ **

Gao had flown to her play stand to occupy herself. Catelyn built the stand herself, dissatisfied with the ones she found online, and had included a small platform where she could place things for Gao.

This week, Gao had a basket full of toilet paper rolls. There was something therapeutic about watching her shred things to pieces. Every so often, she got tired of the one she was destroying and abandoned it to inspect another. And the ripping noises would begin again.

Catelyn fell asleep before she could realize.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !! spoiler warning for v's after ending and the rika's behind story !!
> 
> i kinda went off, so tldr is at the bottom
> 
> last week, cheritz released ~~v's~~ ~~rika's~~ v's after ending. as to why i'm talking about that: i plan to have elements from all the characters' routes in this fic (that's why the "spoilers" tag is there). this note is for anyone who wants to know if content from v's ae and rika's behind story will be in the fic. 
> 
> personally, i haven't finished v's ae, but i looked at summaries and stuff, and i don't think i will be continuing with it. in short, v's ae: "oh, and by the way, v and mc marry and adopt a kid. love and forgiveness is great uwu✿." rika's behind story: "babie girl have sad past and mika is big meanie :(" what happened to Savior, the terrifying, manipulative woman who _knew_ what she was doing and was _sure_ she would bring upon Paradise? why is mika here? i didn't ask for a scapegoat. these dlcs did _everyone_ dirty. us, v, rika, yoosung, jumin, jaehee, even saeyoung and saeran who got reunited, cheritz themselves— everyone. i don't have plans to include content from these dlcs in my fic, and i don't think i will
> 
> tldr: new content did us dirty. it's not going in the fic


End file.
